By Michael Wall
Michael Wall is Georgia Organics’ Director of Advocacy and previous Director of Farmer Services.
Georgia Organics Farmer Advocate Michael Wall and Albany organic farmer and Georgia Organics board member Sed Rowe asked federal lawmakers for more institutional support for organic growers on a March trip to Washington, D.C.
During the Organic Trade Association’s Organic Week and Advocacy Day, Rowe and Wall met with lawmakers or their staff from the offices of Rev. Sen. Raphael Warnock, Rep. Nikema Williams, Rep. Sanford Bishop, and Sen. Mitch McConnel.
Farmer Sed Rowe and Farmer Advocate Michael Wall with staff members of Rep. Nikema Williams office on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
The top priorities Rowe and Wall discussed with lawmakers included much-needed improvements to the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), which has been diminshed by recent changes enacted by the USDA Farm Service Agency. Also, they asked for the full amount of funding that has already been approved for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), program, the continuous improvement of the National Organic Program, continued funding for the OAO 2501 program and its support of BIPOC growers, and funding for organic research.
Farmer Advocate Michael Wall and National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Director Sarah Hackney, who has participated in and presented at numerous Georgia Organics Annual Conferences.
The meetings were either beginning or continuing important relationships that could benefit Georgia Organics’ farm members, especially during upcoming Farm Bill discussions, which have already kicked off with several U.S. House Agriculture Committee hearings.
In addition to the Capitol Hill visits, Rowe was also a panelist during a State Organic Network session and talked about his organic and hemp accomplishments achieved in partnership with Georgia Organics. And, Wall participated in several meetings as a member of OTA’s Farmers Advisory Council, Climate Change Task Force, and Diversity Committee. He also took the time in D.C. to meet with long-time partners at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), which has worked hard for decades to forge the Farm Bill into legislation that puts organic farmers on equal footing with the rest of American agriculture.
To keep up with the Farm Bill and many other critical agriculture bills, sign up to receive NSAC’s weekly newsletters here, and learn more about the Farm Bill here.
